Make some art

I make art because I like doing it, but usually it makes me feel good as well. Why is that? Is it the freedom of expression that gives a release to some feelings I’m holding back, is it the fact that i am fully engaged in the process or is it the activity of working with my hands and creating something…or something else? Well sources say it is all of that and more, making art is basically magic for the soul, I mean if you believe in souls, I don’t want to offend anyone, which is quite a task these days.

We are all hurt, we are all broken, we have all been victims of something and we express that anguish in different ways I suppose but we need to focus on channeling that into something positive, like art. Art is something tangible, when you create you can see, feel, hear, touch or taste it and there is a deep satisfaction and release of chemicals in the brain that say, “this is good, I am happy”.

I’m a high-strung control freak with depressive tendencies so if I don’t therapize with art, nature, journaling or venting in a safe space then I definitely feel crazy. Try something new with NO SELF JUDGMENT OR CRITICISM! I am so guilty of that and have abandoned many projects because I didn’t think they measured up to mine or other people’s expectations, but that is holding us back. I have heard so many people say (myself included), “yes I made that, but it’s no good”. Stop judging and start creating, experimenting, having fun. Get your hands dirty in some clay, string up some beads, plant some seeds and erase your expectations, do it because you want to and remind yourself that even if it doesn’t go the way you want it to you are strong enough to make another one.

Comparison kills Creativity

I’m sure you guys are much stronger than me and have never compared yourself to others, right?? I know, we all do it sometimes and its like a burning disease, once it starts it is hard to stop and it really hurts. Its like a weight on your shoulders. Why did they get that gig instead of me? Why is their business thriving and I’m struggling to pay my bills? How can I compete with that? Am I not good enough? We let our thoughts spiral out of control, overthinking at its best as we try to continue to create in this state of insecurity and fear.

Well, after years of doing that myself, I can tell you, its bullshizer. You need to feel your feelings, but after 15 minutes you need to redirect your thoughts. Look up some positive affirmations or just tell your stubborn mind, “I am the only person just like me. I am grateful for my differences and my special abilities and I experience life differently than anyone else so I can’t expect to have the same experiences as anyone else. I can create and build beautiful things and I am going to have fun doing it.” Then do it, have fun.

If you are going after something specific, set goals. One small daily goal, another small weekly goal, a large monthly goal, a bigger goal for six months from now and your largest for in one year. Have fun setting your goals and even set one for five years from now. But remember that these goals are not written in stone, if something keeps you from attaining a goal (even yourself, as often happens with me) just rewrite it for the next month. Do not give in to the temptation to spend your time beating yourself up over not meeting a goal. Okay…feel your feelings and take 15 minutes if you need, but then pick your beautiful self up (yes you are all very beautiful), dust yourself off and repeat your positive affirmation. Or just remember that story about the stubborn little train that only made it to the top of the hill by constantly repeating to itself, “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can”.

You Need Help

We all do, literally. Have you ever realized you need help but refused to ask for it? Don’t lie. There are a multitude of reasons we don’t ask for help. Too shy, too ashamed, we don’t want to bother anyone, too stubborn, we can’t bear if someone can’t help us, they would make it more complicated or they might laugh at us, just to name a few. If you’re an introvert, like me, it can be especially hard to ask for help, but that’s not to say that extroverts don’t also share the struggle.

Sometimes the problem may be that we don’t realize we need help because we are stuck in the head space in which we are determined to do it on our own. Maybe we had a past experience where someone’s help made the situation worse or maybe we have given up all hope in humanity. Well as much as I would like to tell you we don’t need help, I have to tell you that we all need help sometimes. I have heard the following phrase repeated to me a few times recently, almost as if it is a sign:

“Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.”

Communication is key, we all have different strengths and weaknesses; mine strength might be your weakness. So ask that friend with the finance degree to help you organize your finances, if its easier you can offer a trade, such as making her a portrait of her favorite cat or helping her plant a garden. Start small and start today. Remember that allowing someone to help you is helping them.

Emotional Painting

I feel things deeply, so when I feel something, I feel it to my core. If I get very sad or depressed I don’t necessarily know what I want to paint but I still often feel drawn to the brush or a pen and paper. I may slash across the canvas with my brush, wildly flitting my paint here and there, smearing colors together and practically stabbing the canvas in my emotional state, my tears only add to the depth of the painting. Or I might make something I’m familiar with like a sunset or flowers that require me to zone in a focus more.

These paintings invariably end up different than what I normally paint, the passion of emotions that goes into them makes it so. Often if someone comes into my studio they will be drawn to one of these pieces and like it as much or more than more other work, while I may find it ugly or hard to look at, perhaps because of the emotions I was feeling at the time I made the painting. But one of the great things I get out of emotional painting is the freedom.

So often I am trying to make a certain type of painting or repainting an aspect that I didn’t like or that someone harshly critiqued. But in an emotional storm I just do what I want, it most definitely won’t be perfect, which does bother me, but it will mine, fully out of my heart and soul, so even if the flower is lopsided or the horizon line on the sunset isn’t straight, I just have to remember to slow down my mind so I can remind myself it is exactly the way it is meant to be. Perfectly imperfect.